Devotionals

We cannot excuse external acts of sin by saying our heart was in the right place, for when one’s heart is in the right place, one does not sin externally. Nevertheless, we must recognize that sin and holiness are fundamentally ...Read More

God is not primarily concerned about external matters; He is most concerned about our hearts. External actions often manifest inner realities, but it is also true that we can act in a way that does not match the true thoughts ...Read More

Matthew Henry comments that “it is the mischief of impositions, that too often they who are zealous for them, have little zeal for the essential duties of religion, but can contentedly see them laid aside.” Like the Pharisees, we can ...Read More

It is easy to condemn the Pharisees for their traditions, but as Dr. R.C. Sproul notes in his commentary Mark, “The temptation to add to God’s law is not unique to the Pharisees. We have to deal ...Read More

Human traditions, including the church’s reflection on the Word of God, can be helpful. However, they must never be elevated to the status of divine revelation. When that happens, we become ensnared in legalism and cannot be reformed by Scripture. ...Read More

In itself, something like the empty tomb is merely a curiosity. Without the inspired propositional revelation of Scripture that explains the event, we would not know that the empty tomb means Christ’s resurrection for the justification of all who believe ...Read More

It is easy to see the decline of biblical virtue around us and lash out merely in anger and dismay. While there is a proper place for righteous anger, we should never let our rage at people’s failure to obey ...Read More

Most of us are unlikely to think that we will automatically make it to heaven if we have been circumcised. However, professing Christians are prone to think they are right before God because they go to church, and they might ...Read More

John Calvin comments on today’s passage, “We are here warned, first, not to flatter ourselves and to despise others, when we have performed only some portions of the law—and, secondly, not to glory in having outward idolatry removed, while we ...Read More

We can say with certainty that the one temptation that all people have in common is the temptation to believe we can make ourselves right with God, that our efforts, even when done with His help, are good enough to ...Read More